Seneca Scott, a labor leader and community organizer, debates urban safety alongside Michael Shellenberger, founder of Public News. They argue that criminal justice reforms have led to increased crime in cities like San Francisco. Kmele Foster, a commentator, and Lara Bazelon, a criminal justice professor, advocate for nuanced approaches to reform. Topics include the impact of decarceration, the relationship between policing and public safety, and the need to address root causes like homelessness and education in creating effective justice strategies.

A few weeks ago, with Matt Welch bleeding out of his ears and supposedly forbidden from flying, Kmele and Moynihan hopped a plane to a post-apocalyptic hellscape called “San Francisco” to kibizt with their new benevolent overlords at Substack. Unlike the boring prigs at Patreon (whose “Trust and Safety” commissars never even returned our calls), Substack rather generously hosted the Fifth crew for drinks, drinks, some more drinks, and a live show at company HQ. In Matt’s stead, the lads called up FOTF (Friend of the Fifth - ed.) Lara “Che” Bazelon, a local law professor and communist revolutionary, and Substack co-founder* Hamish McKenzie, a reactionary publisher of fake news. They discuss San Francisco, the state of the media, the future of free speech, and much, much more. Enjoy.*Note: We previously referred to Hamish as CEO of Substack. He is, we are reliably informed, the "chief writing officer," which sounds to us like a fake job. As such, we now have significant doubts he even works at Substack and suspect he's never even been to New Zealand (which he told us “is the country where Kyle Minogue and Yahoo Serious are from”). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Lara Bazelon, a criminal justice reform expert and professor, faces off against Rafael Mangual, a public safety fellow and author. They dive deep into the recent spike in crime rates, dissecting the effectiveness of reform movements versus punitive measures. The conversation unfolds around policing strategies, community impacts, and the complexities of crime data manipulation. Both guests agree on the need for a broken system overhaul, emphasizing dialogue over divisive debates in their quest for justice and public safety.

Lara Bazelon, legal expert and podcast host, discusses rap lyrics as evidence and prosecutorial overreach. Greg Lukianoff talks about Title IX bureaucracy and free speech on campuses. They delve into the decline of American universities and the importance of free expression. Stay tuned for volume 2 where Kmele and Moynihan answer college students' questions!

Parenting author Lara Bazelon and Irish Independent Columnist Tanya Sweeney discuss how working mothers are just as capable as stay-at-home parents. They explore the benefits of putting your career first for your kids, challenging societal norms and highlighting the importance of support for working parents.